NBA Europe London 2027

No London team, fixture or venue has been announced for NBA Europe. As of 4th November 2026, London is one of 12 target cities for permanent franchises in the 16-team league the NBA and FIBA plan to launch in October 2027, but the league has not named a winning bidder in any city. This page is for people who wants to register their interest in NBA Europe London hospitality and get notified when the facts are confirmed.

If you are looking for a basketball date that already exists, the NBA Manchester Game on 17th January 2027 and the NBA Paris Game on 14th January 2027 are regular-season NBA games with their own pages. NBA Europe would be something different: a separate league, with a team based in London playing a full home season.

What is known about NBA Europe in London

The league has published its target cities: London, Manchester, Paris, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Berlin, Munich, Athens and Istanbul. NBA.com said in July 2026 that 16 teams are planned, 12 of them permanent franchises and four qualifying each year on sporting merit. The league would run in partnership with FIBA.

Mark Tatum, the NBA's deputy commissioner, gave the latest on-record update on 20th October 2026. Reuters reported him saying that agreements were being finalised and that an announcement would come in the "not-too-distant future". He told Reuters: "Our plan is to begin rolling out this project in October of 2027, which is a year from now." He also said there was "no timeline yet" for naming the clubs, so no date should be read into that.

London has drawn the strongest interest of any city. Sky Sports reported in July 2026 that it had attracted multiple bids above 1 billion dollars, and Adam Silver told The Athletic in January that more people were approaching the league about the London franchise. Tatum has called the UK "the biggest market in Europe". Interest is not an award, though, and every bidder named in the press remains unconfirmed by the NBA.

Still to be announced

• The owner of the London franchise.
• The team's name, colours and badge.
• The home arena.
• The fixture list, including the number of home games.
• The broadcaster.
• Whether the first season starts in full in October 2027.

Who is reported to be bidding, and how seriously to take each name, is covered in our running NBA London team tracker. That is the place to follow the rumours. This page sticks to what would matter for a group planning a night out.

Where could NBA Europe be played in London?

No London venue has been named, and everything in this section is speculation. The Arena, London is the most discussed option. It hosted the NBA's London game in January 2026, holds about 20,000, and a senior figure from its owners told City AM in December 2025 that it had enough free days for a franchise, while cautioning: "There are too many unanswered questions about the league itself." City AM reported in September 2026 it is understood the arena had been preparing to host the team until a permanent home is finished. That has not been confirmed by the league or the arena.

Other ideas have fallen away. Battersea Power Station told City AM that the land needed is "not compatible with our future phases". Plans for a 25,000-capacity London Colosseum near London Stadium were reported in May 2026, but the landowner, the London Legacy Development Corporation, said: "These reports are incorrect." The Copper Box, home of the London Lions, has a stated maximum of 7,500, and no report we have seen names it for NBA Europe.

London's arena calendar is already busy, which is one reason the venue matters so much. Our guide to The Arena, London in 2027 gives a sense of what is going through that building next year.

What NBA Europe London hospitality could look like

Hospitality will follow the venue, so anything specific would be a guess today. The general shape is easier to describe. An arena basketball night is short, loud and well suited to a client or team evening: a tip-off in the evening, a game with natural breaks, and a finish that leaves time to get home. Arena hospitality in London usually means a private suite or shared lounge, food and drink before the game, and reserved seats. Our guide to corporate boxes at London concerts explains how those spaces tend to work.

One thing to remember is that this would reportedly be FIBA-rules basketball, with 40-minute games, and a team built for a European season rather than a touring NBA side. It is a useful expectation to set for guests. The appeal would be a home team, a season of dates and regular rivalries with cities such as Paris and Madrid, rather than one big night a year.

How NBA Europe fits with other basketball in the UK

Manchester is the other British target city, and its franchise is just as unannounced as London's. Co-op Live will host the NBA game in January, but no Manchester NBA Europe arena has been named. M&S Bank Arena Liverpool is not linked to the plans, since Liverpool is not a target city.

For the rest of the sport, our basketball section brings the live dates together, NBA international games covers the league's trips abroad, and the NBA Finals page covers the end of the North American season. American sport has a London track record too: the NFL London games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have become a regular part of the capital's calendar.

Register your interest in NBA Europe London hospitality

Register your interest on this page with your group size, and say if you are thinking about a single game or several across a season. Once a London team, venue and dates are confirmed, Prestige Corporate Events will contact you with what that means for your group.

Photo credits: Canary Wharf from Limehouse, London, 5th June 2016, by King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0. Portrait: Tarik Phillip of Great Britain, 29th June 2018, by Iain Spowart, CC BY-SA 2.0. London Lions before a EuroCup game, 7th October 2025, by Zafer, CC BY 4.0. The Copper Box, 7th September 2013, by Paul Gillett, CC BY-SA 2.0. The 2019 EuroLeague final, 19th May 2019, by Vanbasten 23, CC BY-SA 4.0.